Something strange happened to my computer on a Wednesday evening, 2
weeks ago. My screen turned deadly black, and no matter how many times I
tried to reboot it, I was met with that lugubrious blackness.
The
next day, Thursday, I tackled my dead computer head on. Using my wife's
computer, I searched online for how to fix this bugger. Unfortunately,
none of the online advice made any difference. Next I decided to call
the computer's manufacturer for help. After paying them a tidy sum, two
technicians worked on my computer for over two hours. Unfortunately,
there were still no positive results. The phone call ended with a
promise that a "more experienced" technician would contact me on Monday.
Just a day before this deadly black screen, my mom, who has advanced
Alzheimer's, was admitted to hospital in Belgium. During the night she
was found drenched in sweat with a heartrate of over 200 beats per
minute. Everyone suspected a cardiac anomaly. My mom was very weak, and
we were warned to prepare for the inevitable. Our prayers were two-fold:
That she would not panic, as she was prone to do so when in unfamiliar
locations; and that we might be granted one wish: To see her alive
again.
While thinking about all of this, I realized that there
are no coincidences in life. Two attacks on different fronts over a
2-day period must have originated from the evil one. As far as my
computer was concerned, I had fallen into the trap of trying to fix
things on my own strength. The result was that I, along with two
frustrated technicians, were left wanting. And as far as my mom was
concerned, there was absolutely nothing I could do. Only One could come
through: my Heavenly Father who confirmed: "With man this is impossible,
but with God all things are possible." (Matt 19:26b, NIV2)
I
spent time during the weekend with my Father. I relished this time with
Him, and Saturday afternoon, as I was enjoying His presence, I fell
asleep. My wife later on told me my dog had bumped my seat several
times, and my cat had jumped up on my lap twice, meowing loudly.
Normally little bumps or tiny noises wake me up, but not this time; and
while I slept, I received a dream that made me aware that God is in
control. He confirmed for me that indeed, what happened to my mom and my
computer were attacks from the evil one. He then promised that I would
experience Matt 11:28 that weekend: "Come to me, all you who are weary
and burdened, and I will give you rest."
When I awoke, I
remembered that God had indeed shown me His healing power in the past.
Although I had never heard praise reports of healed computers, If He
heals people, then why not my computer as well? After all, God is not
limited. In faith, I approached our Father, leaving my mom, as well as
my ministry computer, in His hands.
My mom began improving, and
last Monday, she was discharged from the hospital. According to reports,
she didn't panic while in that strange location.
Right after my
dream, I turned on my computer and miracle of miracles, it began
repairing itself. The black screen was not on! An hour later, however,
we noticed that it was stuck on 18% of the repairs. The next morning it
was still stuck at 18%. I had no choice but to turn it off. I decided to
leave it in God's hands. Why worry when He is in control? The evil one
will do anything to make us doubt God; but I, for one, wasn't going to
fall into his traps.
After church, I decided to turn my computer
on again. I didn't pay any attention to it, as I was using my wife's
computer. When I was finished, I looked up at my computer monitor to
find the login screen! Excited, I told my son: "My computer works!" Sure
enough, once I had logged in, the computer worked perfectly. Indeed, my
Heavenly Father had come through, as always. We can always trust Him:
"Call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will
honor me." (Ps 50:15, NIV2)
The next day the computer technician
called to help me repair my computer. He became completely confused when
I told him it was fixed. "That's not possible!" He stated.
Why
not? I wished he had asked me how it had been repaired. I would have
told him: "I prayed, turned on my computer and it was fixed!"
What a testimony. After all, if God heals, He can do anything that is
impossible to men, even resolving a deadly black screen. And the best
part is, He does this all for free! Now I wonder why I didn't just leave
my computer in His hands rather than in those of the technician...
Do you have computer problems? I have the solution: Trust our Father
and He will come through for you.
Rob Chaffart
Written on
Thursday Feb 11, 2016